Top Ten 1916 Easter Rising and Irish Liberation Places to See

Here is a list of "must see"s of all things related to the 1916 Easter Rising. They are walking tours, buildings, jails places and collections!

1. The 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour:  Lorcan Collins delivers a great walk through center-city Dublin with his insights, anecdotes and asides about the Rising.

2.   Kilmainham Gaol Exhibit. This massive restored prison complex was the place of internment for most leaders of the rebellion captured by British forces. It also was the place of execution for, amongst others, Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, making it hallowed ground for the Irish nation. The exhibition reflects this. This is a fantastic tour and I highly recommend it. Check out my post about the tour itself and the area around the jail. 

3.National Museum of Ireland, Collin's Barracks:  Here a special exhibition is dedicated to the Easter Rising, setting out the background, documenting the events of 1916 and also the aftermath. The exhibition has been newly designed and gives a more balanced view of history than earlier efforts. They have another special exhibit about a History of Ireland in 100 Objects which includes objects from the Rising.

4. The Garden of Remembrance: This beautiful garden in the heart of the city was designed by Daithi Hanly and dedicated to the memory of all those who gave their lives in the cause of Irish Freedom.  The large sculpture by Oisin Kelly is based on the theme of the "Children of Lir".  The garden is intended as a place of quiet remembrance and reflection.

5. The GPO and O'Connell Street: Patrick Pearse read the proclamation of the Irish Republic in front of the GPO to eager rebels and some bemused civilians. After this the rebels made the GPO in what was then Sackville Street their headquarters and main stronghold. Which basically was a military disaster waiting to happen. The front of the GPO and the nearby O'Connell Monument still have visible battle scars. Sackville Street itself had to be totally rebuilt after being shelled by artillery.

6. The Royal College of Surgeons and St. Stephens Green: A rebel force led by the Countess Markiewicz (her bust stands near the center of St. Stephen's Green) occupied the park in a heroic but extremely futile gesture. They realized their mistake when British machine guns began to rake the park from the windows of the Shelbourne Hotel. And retreated into the RCSI building, whose front is still pock-marked by small arms fire.

7. Glasvenin Cemetary:  Dublin's largest cemetery is full of memorials to those killed during or involved in the 1916 rising. Though the focal point should be a monument designed by Dora Sigerson, the most striking grave may be the simple slab commemorating Roger Casement, executed in London for high treason. Other graves of note include those in the "Republican Plot" and that of murdered journalist (and pacifist) Francis Sheehy-Skeffington .

8. An article in the Journal.ie titled Scars of the Easter Rising you can see on Dublin Streets tells all about different places occupied by Irish Volunteers and other physical reminders of the events. 

9. The Jackie Clarke Collection  Check out this article from the New York Times (thanks Aunt Bev!) about a "trove of Irish collectibles" related to the road to independence including a rare, original copy of the 1916 Easter Proclamation and a hat worn by Wolf Tone.

10. Croke Park: Hill 16 officially called Dineen/Hill 16 is a terrace on the railway end of Croke Park, the show-piece stadium of the Gaelic Athletic Association in Dublin City, Ireland. It is considered a national icon. When Croke Park was first used for Gaelic games the Railway End of the park was little more than a mound of earth. Its name is believed to come from the fact that in 1917 the rubble from the 1916 Easter Rising was used to build a more permanent terrace at that end of the ground.^[2] The Hill has always lagged behind the rest of the stadium in terms of comfort. It was only in 1936, when the Cusack Stand was redeveloped, that the turf and mud of Hill 16 was replaced with concrete terracing.